On February 24, 2013, Anne Hathaway stood on the Dolby Theatre stage holding an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Les Misérables. She should have been at the peak of her career. Instead, she was about to become one of Hollywood's most inexplicably hated stars.
The phenomenon even had a name: Hathahate.
Within months of winning the industry's highest honor, Hathaway had become the subject of ruthless mockery, endless think pieces, and a level of vitriol rarely seen for an actress who had done... nothing particularly wrong. It was one of the strangest celebrity backlashes in modern history—and her journey from reviled to redeemed reveals uncomfortable truths about how we treat successful women.
The Princess Diaries Darling (2001-2008)
Anne Hathaway's rise seemed like a fairy tale itself. At 18, she landed the lead in The Princess Diaries (2001), which grossed $165.3 million worldwide and made her an instant teen idol. The sequel in 2004 earned $134.7 million.
But Hathaway wasn't content being just a teen star. She deliberately sought out challenging, adult roles:
- Brokeback Mountain (2005): Playing Jack Twist's wife in the acclaimed drama
- The Devil Wears Prada (2006): $326.5 million worldwide, cementing her as a leading lady
- Rachel Getting Married (2008): An Oscar nomination for Best Actress at just 26
By 2008, she'd earned critical acclaim, commercial success, and industry respect. She seemed poised to become one of her generation's defining actresses. And for a while, she was.
Get Smart (2008) made $230.7 million. Bride Wars (2009) grossed $114.7 million. Love & Other Drugs (2010) brought her a Golden Globe nomination. She was Hollywood royalty—America's sweetheart who could do both prestige drama and commercial comedy.
Then came Les Misérables.
The Oscar Campaign That Changed Everything (2012-2013)
In 2012, Hathaway played Fantine in Tom Hooper's adaptation of Les Misérables. She lost 25 pounds for the role, cut her hair on camera, and sang "I Dreamed a Dream" in a single take that would become the film's emotional centerpiece. It was a transformative performance.
The film premiered December 25, 2012, and immediately positioned Hathaway as the Best Supporting Actress frontrunner. She won:
- Golden Globe (January 13, 2013)
- Screen Actors Guild Award (January 27, 2013)
- BAFTA (February 10, 2013)
- Critics' Choice Award (January 10, 2013)
She swept every major precursor. The Oscar was all but guaranteed. And that's when the backlash began.
The Acceptance Speeches
At the Golden Globes, Hathaway gave an emotional speech thanking director Tom Hooper, her co-stars, and declaring: "I'm gonna love you and Hugh Jackman in a weird, 'I wanna have your babies' kind of way."
Critics found it over-rehearsed. Too earnest. Too much.
At the SAG Awards, she thanked "everyone who hired me before there was any good reason to" and said she couldn't wait to work with SAG members for "at least the next 50 years."
The internet rolled its eyes. "She's trying too hard," became the refrain.
When she won the Oscar on February 24, 2013, her speech began: "It came true!" Critics described her as "desperate," "calculated," and "fake." The performance was impeccable. The speeches were gracious. But somehow, it all felt wrong to people.
The Interviews
Throughout the campaign, Hathaway gave dozens of interviews. She was prepared, thoughtful, and enthusiastic. And that became the problem.
"She's too perfect," people complained. "She seems like she memorized answers." "Why is she so... much?"
A viral moment from a Today Show interview crystallized the backlash. When Matt Lauer asked about the film, Hathaway launched into a detailed, thoughtful answer about the director's vision and the character's journey. It should have been fine. Instead, people mocked her for being "too prepared" and "trying too hard."
The Daily Beast ran an article titled "Why Do We Hate Anne Hathaway?" Jezebel published "Why Does Everyone Hate Anne Hathaway?" Buzzfeed created listicles about her "most annoying moments."
The consensus? She was inauthentic, calculated, desperate for approval. She seemed to love winning awards a bit too much. She tried too hard to be likable—which made her unlikable.
The Anatomy of Hathahate
What exactly had Hathaway done to deserve such vitriol? Let's examine the "evidence":
1. The Early Relationship Overshare In 2008, Hathaway's boyfriend of four years, Raffaello Follieri, was arrested for fraud and money laundering. The relationship ended disastrously, but Hathaway had spoken about him effusively in interviews. Critics later used this as "evidence" she was naive or fake.
2. The "Try Hard" Persona Hathaway is earnest. She doesn't play it cool. She expresses genuine excitement about her work. In an age of detached irony, her sincerity read as performative to some.
3. The Prepared Answers She researched questions, thought about her responses, and gave articulate answers. This was somehow seen as evidence of inauthenticity rather than professionalism.
4. The "Oscar Campaigning" She attended every event, gave every interview, and actively promoted herself for awards. She did exactly what every other Oscar contender does—but got crucified for it.
5. Being "Too Much" She was too enthusiastic, too grateful, too emotional, too prepared. What would have been called "confident" in a man was labeled "desperate" in Hathaway.
Cultural critics later noted the double standard. Male actors who campaign aggressively (Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Redmayne, Leonardo DiCaprio) were seen as passionate about their craft. Hathaway was seen as needy.
The Exile (2013-2015)
The Hathahate reached its peak in 2013. Saturday Night Live parodied her in a brutal "Anne Hathaway's Paparazzi Boyfriend" sketch where she desperately tries to stay in the spotlight. Late-night hosts made her the punchline. Hathaway became shorthand for "trying too hard."
She was aware of it. "I didn't want to be there, but I couldn't figure out where to go," she told The Guardian in 2017. "So I just went to Disneyland for a year."
Her post-Oscar projects struggled:
- Song One (2014): Limited release, $60,000 total gross
- Rio 2 (2014): Voice role, decent performance but nothing for Hathaway personally
- Interstellar (2014): Ensemble cast, but Hathaway's role received mixed reviews
More tellingly, she largely disappeared from public view. Few magazine covers. Minimal interviews. She married Adam Shulman in September 2012, but kept her personal life intensely private. The woman who once seemed to crave the spotlight had retreated from it entirely.
The Strategic Comeback (2015-2018)
Hathaway's return was calculated but brilliant. She leaned into self-deprecation and chose roles that challenged her "try-hard" image.
2015: The Intern Playing a tech CEO opposite Robert De Niro, Hathaway showed a different side—confident, flawed, human. The film made $194.6 million worldwide and reminded audiences why they'd liked her in the first place.
"I learned to laugh at myself," she said in promotional interviews. When asked about the Hathahate, she addressed it directly: "I'm not everyone's cup of tea, and that's okay."
2016: Colossal A bizarre indie about a woman who discovers she's psychically connected to a giant monster destroying Seoul. It was weird, risky, and nothing like what people expected from Hathaway. Critics loved it.
2018: Ocean's 8 As part of an all-female ensemble, Hathaway stole the film playing a vapid actress—a clear wink at her own image. The self-awareness was refreshing. The film made $297.8 million worldwide.
She also started appearing on talk shows with a different energy. On The Late Late Show with James Corden, she played "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" and drank a salmon smoothie rather than answer a question. The woman who once seemed too polished was now willing to be messy.
The SNL Redemption (2019)
On October 12, 2019, Hathaway hosted Saturday Night Live for the third time. In her opening monologue, she addressed the Hathahate directly:
"A lot of you disliked me," she said with a smile. "And that's okay. I got it. I was kind of exhausting. I remember watching myself at the Oscars thinking, 'I'm going to suck for the next two years, aren't I?'"
The audience laughed. The internet loved it. By naming it, owning it, and laughing at it, Hathaway defused years of criticism.
Later in the show, she appeared in a Les Misérables parody sketch making fun of her Oscar campaign. It was perfect.
The Full Redemption (2020-2024)
By 2020, the Hathahate was over. Multiple factors contributed:
1. Cultural Reckoning The #MeToo movement and broader conversations about how media treats women led to reassessments. Think pieces that once mocked Hathaway now acknowledged the misogyny underlying the backlash.
2. Retrospective Appreciation Les Misérables aged well. "I Dreamed a Dream" remained powerful. Her Oscar was clearly deserved. People began wondering: why did we hate her again?
3. Consistent Good Work The Hustle (2019), The Witches (2020), Locked Down (2021), and WeCrashed (2022 miniseries) showed her range. She was working steadily and well.
4. Personal Life Openness Hathaway became more open about motherhood (two sons, born 2016 and 2019), sobriety (she quit drinking in October 2018 with her second son as a teenager), and mental health. The vulnerability felt genuine.
5. Gen Z Discovery Younger audiences discovered The Devil Wears Prada and The Princess Diaries on streaming. To Gen Z, Hathaway wasn't "trying too hard"—she was just good.
The 2024 Triumph
In 2024, Hathaway reached a new career peak with two major projects:
The Idea of You (May 2, 2024, Amazon Prime Video): Hathaway played a 40-year-old single mom who falls for a 24-year-old pop star. Critics called it her best rom-com performance ever. The film became Prime Video's most-watched romantic comedy debut, with 50 million viewers in its first two weeks.
Eileen (December 2023, limited release expanding into 2024): A dark thriller that earned Hathaway some of the best reviews of her career. IndieWire called her "revelatory."
At 41, Hathaway is experiencing a career renaissance. But more importantly, the culture has stopped punishing her for the crime of being enthusiastic about her success.
The Lesson of Hathahate
Anne Hathaway's story reveals uncomfortable truths about celebrity culture:
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We punish women for ambition. Everything Hathaway did during her Oscar campaign was standard practice. She was eviscerated for it in ways her male peers weren't.
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Sincerity is suspicious. In an age of ironic detachment, Hathaway's genuine enthusiasm was seen as fake. That says more about us than her.
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The internet loves a pile-on. Once the Hathahate started, it became self-sustaining. People who'd never thought about Hathaway suddenly had opinions because everyone else did.
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Redemption is possible. By owning her perceived flaws, choosing good roles, and waiting out the storm, Hathaway rebuilt her image and career.
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Time provides clarity. What seemed like justified criticism in 2013 looks like misogynistic bullying in hindsight.
Today, Anne Hathaway is one of Hollywood's most respected actresses. She's won an Oscar, starred in dozens of successful films, and built a career that spans 20+ years. The Hathahate is a strange footnote—a moment when the culture collectively decided to hate someone for winning, trying, and caring.
She survived it. Thrived beyond it. And proved that sometimes the best response to unearned criticism is simply to keep working, stay authentic, and wait for people to remember why they liked you in the first place.
The princess became a queen. And we finally stopped punishing her for it.
